May 2011 Newsletter - West Australian Marathon Club

Road Runner’s Etiquette
Bon Jour to the Marathon
By Glynis Hourquebie
By Lena Inkson
I came to be writing this article because of opening my
mouth and commenting that not all runners seem to
know which side of the road they should be running
on. This was following one of our regular Saturday
morning runs in the hills, where I was overheard by
the newsletter editor. (Editor’s Note: be careful what
you say around the editor, or you too may find yourself
coerced into an article.)
As the C team running group, we run most Saturdays
on the trails in the hills. When running on the trails or
cycle paths the runners are all well-behaved and keep
to the left as they should. Sometimes our route takes
us onto the road and this is where things go wrong.
The group splits and some runners run on the left and
some on the right. On hitting the road there seems to
be a trend to run on the right-hand side of the road,
facing oncoming traffic (which is correct), but if a car
approaches then a part of the group inevitably splits to
the left. This causes confusion for the motorist.
So in summary, on trails and shared cycle parks, keep
left and on the road, keep right to face the oncoming
traffic.
I carried out a fair bit of Internet “Googling” to ensure
that these facts are correct. In doing so I came across
some interesting articles and blogs. Some cyclists
and motorists are not particularly pro running but this
comes as no surprise to runners!
Some simple Do’s and Don’ts from the running for
dummies.com website:
• Don’t wear headphones
• Do run against the traffic
• Do make yourself visible
• Don’t challenge cars to a race
• Beware of stopped cars turning
• Do run with others
As a reminder these are the Basic Road Running Rules
as they appear in the WAMC Program:
1. You must obey all road traffic laws and directions
given by the police and the event marshals. To
ensure your safety and that of everyone else in the
race, the use of headphones or any musical device
is strongly discouraged. Any use of headphones is
a safety hazard since such use may compromise
a participant’s ability to hear critical safety and/
or directional instructions, especially instructions
that may arise in an emergency situation. This is
a REAL safety concern and not just a perceived
one; there have been many cases of women being
attacked on the streets whilst wearing headphones
and we have had many instances of participants not
following marshals instructions due to wearing of
headphones.
2. Always run on the right hand side of the road unless
directed otherwise. Run with the two C’s in mind -
Caution and Common sense. Runners do not have
the right of way, so don’t expect it. In a collision the
runner will be the loser every time.
3. Be courteous to your fellow runners:
DO NOT push or shove
DO NOT cut off other runners
DO NOT speed past other runners and prop in front
of them.
I’ve read that every marathoner has his or her first
marathon story. If they’ve run a lot, they might forget
the details of other races, but the first marathon lives
on in their mind - each and every mile. Most find that
marathon running is like eating a bag of potato chips
– it’s nearly impossible to stop after just one. Well, we
shall see! Here is my story of the Paris Marathon, 10th
April 2011.
I started running in December 2009 after being
inspired watching the Busselton Ironman in early
December 2009. My first race was the WAMC 8km city
beach run, which took me 57mins 14secs. From then
my goals have changed and times have improved.
I conquered by first 5k, 10k, and half marathon. I
remember discussing the marathon with my partner
Scott Thomson and friend Ray Lampard from Break
Your Limits, and saying “I could never do that”!
Last October my sister said she was going to race the
Paris Marathon in April 2011. Before I knew it I had
entered online and put it as my Facebook status (which
means you have to do it!) and that was the beginning!
Training started in January, which was great as my
Mum, who is a keen runner and former marathoner,
was here on holiday, so I had her as a running partner,
along with my friend Jo who I met through running.
I followed a training plan with Ray, which suited
me perfectly. I ran the Busselton Half Marathon in
February in 1:54:56, which I was delighted with.
Unfortunately, three weeks before the marathon I
developed shin splints and required intensive physio.
This meant no running and only cross training for
a couple of weeks! A few tears were shed over this,
it was so frustrating, all that hard work and now an
injury. Regardless, off to Paris I went.
I was very excited to see my sister, Lynn, her fiancé,
and my three best friends who came over to Paris from
Scotland. We had a few nice days of Paris in the spring
time, which involved, shopping, coffee, croissants,
baguettes then rest pre-marathon.
DJs. Then the gun went, though it was18 minutes
before we made it to the start line. We ran away from
the Arc de Triomphe past the Place de la Concorde
and the Louvre, and I knew that I was so lucky to be
running my first marathon in beautiful Paris.
I ran with my sister, who is a stronger runner than
me and doing her second marathon, for the first half.
Just before the half marathon marker I remember her
saying “the next hour is going to be the hardest. You’ll
get through it and then you’re almost there”. And off
she ran, almost managing a negative split.
I ran well to the 25km mark but I was having
problems with my feet and calves and had to walk a
bit. An orange at the 30km mark picked me up, but
unfortunately I had to run/walk the last 10km. But
the support from the spectators was incredible. Even
though they were shouting in French, I could hear my
name at the end of the sentence, and the constant
entertainment was uplifting. I kept reminding myself I
was there to enjoy it, and I smiled and looked strong at
every photo opportunity.
Then I saw the finish line. 4hours, 55mins and
29seconds later it was all over. I had made it!
That evening we went up the Eiffel Tower to watch the
sunset over the “City of Love” and have champagne
flutes – the perfect ending to the day. I can now say “I
am a marathon runner”.
Our hotel was a 5-minute walk to the starting line, and
once on the start line, I reminded myself to enjoy the
race. That was the reason I was doing it after all.
Photo credit: Members of the C Team run on the right side of
the road, as safety dictates, during a hills training run along
Mundaring Weir Road. Photo credit: Dennis Tan
The atmosphere was truly electric -- 40,000 runners,
and over 100,000 spectators, music, dancers, bands,
Lena Inkson soaks in the atmosphere at Paris during her first
marathon. Photo credit: Maindru Photos
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